Shadow Hearts II: So Far Away
by Tiger5913
Summary: Before the final confrontation and the end of everyone's journey, Yuri finally realizes what happiness means to him... [Yuri x Alice, spoilers for "The Oath" cutscene]


12/9/04

Disclaimer: The characters in this fic, such as Yuri, Alice, etc. don't belong to me; they are property of Midway, and the song "So Far Away" belongs to Staind so don't sue! ;.;

Dedications: God, my friends, my cousins, my readers, Beastman for introducing this song to me, Aruze for gracing this magnificent RPG with a sequel – despite the ending they chose to go off of – and finally, sudden inspiration for giving me the idea and courage to write this.

Special dedication to Flyby Stardancer, for her loyal support, endless encouragement, and eager willingness to help.

**Shadow Hearts II: So Far Away**

**By Tiger5913**

Just as the group arrived in Inugami Village, their leader suddenly collapsed at the entrance and laid sprawled out on the dirt floor, passed out. Again.

"Oh, no!" one of his friends cried in surprise after he slumped over, "Not again! Why does this keep happening to him?"

"Say, this fainting stuff wouldn't happen to run in the family, would it?" The elderly mage asked of the young swordsman, who was related to the protagonist.

"Well, not that I know of," he replied wearily.

"Come on, everyone; let's bring Yuri over to Saki's house! We can't just leave him lying here like this," their redheaded companion commanded while casting a worried glance at the man-in-question. "Can you carry him, Joachim?"

Joachim Valentine nodded, and then promptly bent down to pick up the unconscious hero, carefully propping the limp form over his shoulder as the others looked on. After the vampire gave them a quick gesture of readiness, everyone began walking away from the entrance, heading down the path that would lead to the home of the village's leader. This was not the first time that the brunette fusionist had suddenly fallen on the ground, knocked out by some unknown reason, but he usually revived shortly after. Still, his allies worried about him; he never gave a detailed explanation on what exactly happened during his dozing period, so all they could do was wonder and speculate.

_This is my life_

_It's not what it was before_

_All these feelings I've shared_

_And these are my dreams_

Little did they know that Yuri Hyuga was about to enter his most pleasant spiritual encounter ever… one that would spark the fire of fight in him, and revitalize his willingness to complete the journey.

-----

_Huh, this again…_

In his mental world, which was ominously dubbed as the "Graveyard," the vigorous Harmonixer looked around, expecting to see a little girl appear out of nowhere at any second to continue guiding him on the path toward happiness.

"Jeanne!" he called for her as he paced around a bit, awaiting her arrival. "Hey, Jeanne! Where are you?"

A few chilly minutes passed by, but no answer came, nor did the Labyrinth door suddenly open to reveal the young child that he was searching for, and he noised his impatience in response. Finally, Yuri decided to venture off on his own, and he made his way through the maze, smirking at the previous paths he took, and he wondered how many more places there were left to be uncovered. Secret desires and wishes were locked behind those thick metal doors, concealing parts of himself that he kept hidden from almost everyone, and he shared some of them with only a couple of very close companions. Jeanne, his deceased friend from Domremy, who now currently resided in his gloomy mental realm, was slowly discovering all of his furtive aspects, and he let her because he knew that she would use the knowledge to help him.

_That I'd never lived before_

_Somebody shake me 'cause I_

_I must be sleeping_

_Now that we're here, it's so far away_

Soon, the fusionist was facing a door that had been locked when he last tried to open it – he'd heard the voice of his departed lover through it, calling his name, but he couldn't get inside that time. A light snarl escaped his lips when he glared at the metal structure now, and he stalked up to it with raw determination on his expression as he cracked his knuckles and tensed his body, preparing himself to ram the obstacle if necessary. But to his surprise, when he gave the door a mere test push, it gave way inwardly, and after blinking in shock, he quickly craned his head forward, eager to see what had been hidden from him all this time. The natural darkness from the environment clouded his vision for a bit, but with a sudden burst of light, an astonishing scene was revealed to his eyes, one that he recognized from just a few months ago, when…

_This train… __Alice__…_

Shaking his head free of the heartbreaking memory, Yuri wearily took a few steps forward, walking into what seemed to be a train setting, which baffled him greatly, and he wondered if he was hallucinating. Dread pitted itself at the bottom of his stomach when he proceeded further, and caught a glimpse of a slouched figure sitting in the farthest back row, which instantly made his heart pound in apprehension. He got close enough to identify the turquoise-clothed person, and he approached her slowly, unsure of whether or not he should destroy the realistic-seeming scenario by touching her, but how painful if the whole thing turned out to be a mere figment of his imagination… Swallowing nervously, the fusionist extended an arm toward the serenely dozing Alice Elliot, and just before he touched her shoulder, she stirred and lifted her chin, then turned to look at him with very familiar brilliant blue eyes.

_All the__ struggle we thought was in vain_

_And all the mistakes, one life contained_

_They all finally start to go away_

_And now that we're here, it's so far away_

"Yuri… you're back," she greeted him with a warm smile, instantly erasing his thoughts of repeating the horrible incident that had happened several months ago. "I guess I fell asleep waiting for you to arrive…"

"Y-you did?" he stammered uncharacteristically, and gave her a shaky partial grin as he sat down in the seat across from her.

"Mmmhmm," she replied with a slight nod, and promptly fell silent when Yuri cast his intense gaze on her.

An endless moment passed between the devoted pair, and the brunette studied his companion thoroughly, his eyes ardently starved for the beautiful sight that he had craved, but been deprived of for so long. Alice looked the same as the day she died, wearing the short velvet dress and modest, pale-colored stockings, and with all of her white ruffles in their usual rings, the lacy material emphasizing her angelic innocence. Her platinum-blonde hair was in a neat braid and tucked up above the back of her neck, and he also remembered that the tress was held together by a big, billowing bow that matched the shade of her outfit. His mouth went dry at the glorious sight; how he had missed her during the time they were separated, wished to be by her side, hold her slender form in his arms, and now, she was finally with him again…

_And I feel like I can face the day_

_And I can forgive_

_And I'm not ashamed_

_To be the person that I am today_

She patiently waited while he looked her over, love and admiration shining in his dark irises, and when the couple made eye-contact, she asked gently, "Was it hard for you?"

"W-well, things are pretty much the usual," Yuri told her in that same shaky tone, figuring she was asking about his life, and then he inwardly wondered why he was feeling so nervous. "U-uh, can I… sit next to you?"

"Sure, go ahead."

He stood up and quickly crossed over to her side, sitting down right beside the former exorcist with a timid confession, "I, uh, get kinda sick riding backwards, heh, heh…"

Alice smiled in spite of his unusual stuttering, and to assure him that she understood his need to be closer, she placed her hand over his, which surprised him initially, but he relaxed and the union rested comfortably on his knee. The fusionist chuckled nervously, still wondering if the current scenario was actually part of reality, or a very convincing hallucination that his mind had conjured up as a result of his great, building desire to see his beloved. Just then, Yuri glanced out the window of the train and watched the sunset over the horizon, noticing the brilliant rays that painted across the sky with deep colors, the portrait of nature captivating his gaze. The young woman seated next to him, his significant other, she _felt_ real, and his heartbeat accelerated in excitement, but he didn't want to get his hopes up too much just yet, in case he would be dropped into an emotional abyss again…

_These are my words_

_That I've never said before_

_I think I'm doing okay_

_And this is the smile_

"Was it hard?" The kind-hearted blonde spoke up suddenly, startling him out of his distracted state.

His brows furrowed in slight confusion; "What was?"

"Finding your way here," she clarified.

"Nah, not really," Yuri denied in his trademark casual attitude, but then he remembered who he was with, knew her acceptance, and after hesitating for just a moment, he admitted softly, "W-well, maybe a little, heh, heh…"

With that small confession, the couple began a stream of conversations, each telling the other about what had happened since they were separated, and their tones had underlying wishes for the future. It felt so nice for the fusionist, being able to open himself up and voice even his most secret thoughts to the woman that had sacrificed her life so that his soul could be saved… the woman that he deeply loved. How ironic that he could be comfortable riding on a train that reminded him of when she died and the start of his agonizing days… but then again, they were together now, so he could put that thought aside and concentrate on the present. But when Yuri remembered the Mistletoe Curse that was slowly eating him away from the inside, he fidgeted, and reluctantly told Alice about it, although he suspected that she already knew.

She did. "Whatever this curse is… I don't mind. We'll overcome it together, Yuri."

_That I've never shown before_

_Somebody shake me 'cause I_

_I must be sleeping_

_Now that we're here, it's so far away_

He grinned briefly at her confidence, and believed what she said; with the power of their love in him, he felt like he could face Kato Masaji and defeat the man by himself… although the brunette wanted to hear it with his own ears, "Hey, Alice… what you said back there, when Roger and I used the Émigré Manuscript to bring you back to life… did you mean it?"

"Mmmhmm…" Alice replied without hesitation, and gave him a dreamy nod as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I, I love you too." Yuri told her softly, voicing his raw emotions in those small little words.

"I know that…" she assured him, and nuzzled his arm as she tightened her grasp on his hand just a bit, giving the young man an affectionate squeeze.

He received her gesture with a smile, and then confessed quietly, "You know… if there really is a God, and he could grant me just one wish… I'd go back to the day we first met."

"Then we could take a trip together!" His significant other concluded, giggling slightly at the delightful thought.

"Yeah!" the fusionist encouraged wholeheartedly, and chuckled as he recalled, "That was some trip, eh?" _If we could do that journey over again… I'd save you this time, __Alice__. I promise._

_All the__ struggle we thought was in vain_

_And all the mistakes, one life contained_

_They all finally start to go away_

_And now that we're here, it's so far away_

When the two had calmed down enough to face the reality of their situation, Alice murmured happily, "Now we can see each other anytime."

"Really?" Astonishment was on his face as he asked this; Yuri really had no idea that he could visit her whenever he wanted to, and the tentative knowledge flickered a bit of fire within his heart.

"I'm not going anywhere," she insisted with gentle firmness, and lifted her head so that her eyes could meet his, and she showed him the determination in her radiant blue depths.

"Alice…"

There was nothing he wanted to do more than just remain seated and stay with her, talking and sharing his most intimate thoughts with his beloved woman, but he suddenly felt a faint quake coming from the other side. Over in the real world, his friends must have begun to worry about his blackout period, and were probably trying to revive him, but he shook his head stubbornly, not wanting to leave. He'd already gone through so much, and he just wanted the journey to end; surely the others could finish Kato off by themselves, especially with their combined strengths, and in addition, the aid of his cousin's own fusion ability, right? But his conscience nagged at him repeatedly, scolding his selfishness, and with a heavy sigh, Yuri reluctantly stood up and left the seats, which caused Alice to quickly follow suit, her eyes watching him avidly.

_And I feel like I can face the day_

_I can forgive_

_And I'm not ashamed_

_To be the person that I am today_

"Are you leaving?" She inquired wonderingly, without a hint of accusation in her tone.

"There's one more thing I've gotta take care of," he admitted, turning around to face her, expressing slight frustration on his expression, and then he vowed resolutely, "But once that's done, I'll come back to you. And I'll never leave again."

Alice nodded in understanding; she had waited months for him to find her, and a few more days certainly wouldn't try her endless patience, especially when she knew that he was on the verge of saving the world from their former friend. She'd been watching over him throughout his journey, and never lost faith in his devotion to her, to their love, not even when the voluptuous redhead had questioned him on his feelings for his deceased significant other. The white mage enjoyed being with her beau again, and knew that after the current adventure was over, he would return to her no matter what the cost, even if it meant giving up his life, especially considering the alternative. The dreaded Mistletoe was slowly, but surely dissolving his soul, and he would rather save that precious entity than walk around the earth as an empty shell, completely void of his true self and his past memories.

"Be careful." The young woman spoke up now, wishing that she could protect him with her mystical healing powers as she did before, but for the time being, she would prepare herself to help him defeat the relentless curse.

"I will," the fusionist promised, and then hesitated as if there was something still undone.

_I'm so afraid of waking_

_Please don't shake me_

_Afraid of waking_

_Please don't shake me_

"Is something wrong, Yuri?"

Without saying a word, he suddenly reached his arms out and enclosed them around Alice, tightening his grasp as he drew her petite body close, and of course, she willingly followed, stepping toward him in aid. He held her to his chest, and the white mage daintily laid her head against his heart, closing her eyes as she listened to the entity beating smoothly, its steady rhythm quickening with his passionate feelings for her. The couple stayed like that for a countless period, serenely enveloping affections from each other, the strength of their love overpowering the painful torment of their loneliness and previous separation. He released the embrace too soon, and stepped back a little to just simply look at the beautiful blonde as he carefully etched her features into his memory, so he could be reminded of what he had to look forward to after the final confrontation with Kato.

"See you soon." Yuri promised with firm determination, and then finally managed to tear his gaze away from her as he turned around to depart, his obvious reluctance slowing down his steps.

With a silent prayer for his safety in the upcoming fight, Alice faithfully remained standing, as she intended to stay in her position until he had fully left before she would go back to her seat and patiently wait for his return.

_Now that we're here, it's so far away_

_All the__ struggle we thought was in vain_

_And all the mistakes, one life contained_

_They all finally start to go away_

Feeling her eyes watching him protectively, he walked away without looking back, for he knew that if he did, he wouldn't leave the pleasant scene in favor of returning to the real world, where she was absent. As he went further and further, her light slowly faded, leaving him in the all-too-familiar darkness of his Graveyard, and his shoulders slumped a bit in disappointment when he heard the doors clang shut behind him. Yuri gave into the temptation and finally turned his head around, glancing at the heavy metal frames that separated him from his beloved with sadness in his eyes, but the lingering memory of her smile renewed his energy. Her reassuring words and loving encouragement gave him the strength to revert his attention to his original intended path, and the fusionist kept going forward, heading for the exit that would lead him out of the present spiritual universe.

_Alice__… when I come back, we'll spend the rest of our lives together…_

That thought thrilled him to no end, for he was happy, truly and thoroughly. After Alice died, he never thought that he could smile again without being reminded that he'd lost his reason to express such a joyous emotion, or laugh and suddenly cut it short, remembering the fun times of his previous adventure. His beloved woman made the fusionist a part of who he was, and without her, he could never feel whole, complete; but now, he had a true reason to fight, and he wanted to end things quickly so that he could return to her sooner. Yuri had found his happiness, and the next time that Jeanne pulled him back into his mental realm, he could finally answer her question, and relieve her of the task she'd been so selflessly devoted to throughout his current journey.

Her light of hope revived the life in his soul.

_And now that we're here, it's so far away_

_And I feel like I can face the day_

_And I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed_

_To be the person that I am today_

**The End**

**Author's Note: **Aww… I really enjoyed writing this. :) As soon as I heard the song for the first time, I thought it was perfect for Yuri's thoughts toward Alice as he's thinking about what to do after his journey comes to an end. Yuri and Alice are just so sweet together, and I loved watching the train cut-scene in Covenant. Anyway, one of the other reasons why I wrote this is to give you readers a little break from the many Kurando x Anastasia fics that I've been posting lately. I don't want you guys to get sick of that couple or anything, heh. Well, thank you all for reading this, and please leave a review to let me know what you think!

**With love for my fans,**

**Tiger5913**


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